Tik manufacturers soon to take a hard hit

Cape Town’s safety and security directorate has put together a set of regulations that will make it very difficult for manufacturers of methamphetamine, or commonly known in South Africa as “Tik”, to get hold of the ingredients that they need to make the drug. Many of the ingredients needed to make Tik are available from pharmacies, making it relatively easy for people who want to “cook” and then distribute the drug.

The directorate’s Anton Visser is meeting with Helen Zille today (13 August 2012) regarding the matter. Visser believes that all areas of the regulations have been covered in order to maximise the effects of their efforts.

According to the directorate, one of the main contributors to tik manufacturing in Cape Town is the diversion of chemicals that are used legitimately, such as chemicals used in cough syrup, to create the illegal drug. The fact that this is happening is a significant contributor to the drug problem in Cape Town.

The chemicals that are being used to cook Tik are ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, all of which are common chemicals that are used in cough syrup and cold and flu medication. If these regulations are put into place then anyone who is manufacturing, storing, preparing, importing, exporting, selling or purchasing these chemicals will have to register. On top of this, chemists will be required to take part in a Tik monitoring programme where they will electronically record any transactions that involve the previously said chemicals.

Before someone takes a delivery containing these chemicals, they will need to provide an identity document, their residential and business address and a signature, a witness will also be required. This is intended to help avoid people going under a false name to get their hands on the ingredients for Tik.

As Tik is one of the most harmful and addictive drugs in Cape Town, we can only hope that these regulations will have a positive impact on preventing the manufacturing and distribution of the drug.